My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
This was a great anthology. I enjoyed each story, and I breezed right through it. My thoughts of each story:Spellbound by LA Banks. This was a fun story about two star-crossed lovers who happen to be part of voodoo/root-practitioner families who hate each other. The Hatfields versus the McCoys, except they are Black. I laughed a lot, and some of the characters reminded me of some family members on both sides (minus the voodoo-practicing part). Both the hero and the heroine were virgins. This is probably my favorite story by Banks now, although I do love her other short stories that I've read. Five stars.Something Borrowed by Jim Butcher. I just love Harry Dresden. In this story, he is helping his friend Billy the Werewolf get married. Too bad a miffed faerie stole his bride and decided to take her place. But Harry is on the case, with a little help from Detective Murphy. Five stars.Dead Man's Chest by Rachel Caine. What a pleasant surprise. A bride gets talked into getting married on a pirate ship by her fiance. It turns out the pirates are all dead and under a curse. And her fiance had some nefarious motives. But, true love conquers all. Between the erstwhile bride and the pirate captain. Great fun. It helped that Captain Lockhart reminded me of an Anne Stuart hero. I'm so easy that way. Five stars.All Shook Up by PN Elrod. This was an interesting story. I think Elvis fans would really love it. There is a wedding singer who has an uncannily perfect imitation of Elvis going on, and an ability to help the wedding couple along their course of true love. An ability shared by the caterer, who is the main protagonist. I'm not a big Elvis fan (although I like a lot of his songs), so it was weird how the hero was sort of possessed by the spirit of Elvis, but I still enjoyed it. Four Stars.The Wedding of Wylda Serene by Esther M. Friesner. This story made me laugh. I enjoyed the whimsical feel, and the slyly ironic narration. A bastion of upper class entitlement is plagued by mythical creatures, in time to 'spoil' a sweet, young debutante's wedding. This is a must-read for Greek mythology enthusiasts. Four and 1/2 stars.Charmed by the Moon by Lori Handeland. I haven't read any of the books in her Nightcreature series, and this is a follow-up story about Jessie and Will from Blue Moon. They are getting married, but Jessie is having cold feet, not sure if their feelings are true for each other. They go on a spirit journey to find that out when they find a love charm in Will's ceremonial wedding gear. I really liked this story. The magic and the mysticism hit the right note with me. It has a bittersweet feel as their HEA is not my ideal, but I can understand the choice they made for the dangerous world they live in. Four and 1/2 stars.Tacky by Charlaine Harris. When I read Ms. Harris' stories, I usually teeter on the edge of sincere admiration for her imagination, amusement, and a bit of cheesy overload, all at the same time. I sort of like the goofy approach she has to the paranormal world, but sometimes it feels too goofy. I like the way she pokes fun at Southerners in a goodnatured way. I must say this was an unusual wedding, with the bride being a vampire, and the groom being a werewolf, and human fundamentalist assassins attacking the wedding party. For some reason, the main protagonist, Dahlia, kept making me think of Pam from the TrueBlood show, although she's hetero. Four stars.A Hard Day's Night-Searcher by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Yay. A Black Dark-Hunter paired with a Black female Squire. Thank you, Ms. Kenyon. This is about Rafael Santiago, who was a pirate in his mortal life, and OCD Squire Celena, who's afraid to lose yet another Dark-Hunter to the ongoing battle with the Daimons. They end up crashing an Apollite wedding teeming with Daimons. This was a really good story, but it felt way too short to me. Sort of an abbreviated version of a full-length Dark-Hunter novel. Everything was resolved, but I felt like I wanted more. Four stars."...Or Forever Hold Your Peace" by Susan Krinard. I liked the Victorian paranormal feel of this story. This is a paranormal mystery in which Olivia and Kit, a crime-solving duo, work to find a bride who was kidnapped from her wedding, using their Talents. This is an alternate England called Albion, where most people have some sort of magical Talent. Olivia can see inside a person's body to see their anatomy, and Kit can change into a large Black Dog. It was fun and had the pulp fiction, neo-Victorian vibe I love. I felt the tone could have been a little more vibrant for maximum enjoyment, but I'd love to read more of Kit and Olivia's adventures. Four stars.I really want to give this collection five stars, mainly based on the first three stories and the overall appealing vibe it holds, despite the preponderance of stories not reaching five stars. So I will. Recommended to fans of humorous paranormal/supernatural fiction, be it urban fantasy or paranormal, with a little gaslit Victorian mystery thrown in.
Gives a whole new meaning to 'wedded bliss'...When a simple, traditional wedding just won't do, you get together several popular paranormal fantasy authors and bam! You get a wedding worth remembering. [SPELLBOUND:] by L.A. Banks is a lively tale of two families notorious in their feud and moreso for their voodoo. When the son of one and the daughter of the other fall in love they risk an all-out war of magics between their aunts and uncles just to get married. With her usual attention to cultural detail and a heavy dose of slangy dialog this one was a little tough to swallow but Banks delivers flavor like none other. 3/5 stars[SOMETHING BORROWED:] by Jim Butcher brings the world of Harry Dresden onto the wedding ciruit and into a patch of faerie trouble. When werewolves Billy and Georgia attempt to get married an old grudge comes back to haunt them and it's up to Harry to make sure that the wedding goes on. I've still never ready the Dresden books and that made this story a little confusing not sure how fans of the series would feel. 2/5 stars[DEAD MAN'S CHEST:] by Rachel Caine is a wild yarn about a wedding at sea and attempted-murder most foul. Ian is a man almost too good to be true when he whisks Cecilia off on a wedding cruise that will change their lives. I am a huge sucker for a pirate story and this one delivered quite well even if the romance was a bit too rushed for my tastes. 5/5 stars["ALL SHOOK UP":] by P.N. Elrod brings the catering crew and entertainment at a reception into the light as an Elvis impersonator and head caterer strike up an attraction. Toss in a special magic, a model and a wrestler and you get one crazy wedding that won't be easily forgetable. This story was so different but well characterised I couldn't help but like it. 4/5 stars[THE WEDDING OF WYLDA SERENE:] by Esther M. Friesner throws the book at the uppercrust and their snooty ways as they try to find a way to prevent chaos at The Club where a wedding is to take place. Mixing mythology and dry humor this one pokes fun at high society's strictures. I loved how this one was narrated but the story was a little choppy and strange. 2/5 stars[CHARMED BY THE MOON:] by Lori Handleland is a story of Native American myth and a wedding that could be stopped by questionable magics. Werewolves are the bad guys who may have set the trouble up but sometimes lovers just need to trust their feelings. I'm not sure if this ties into Handeland's series at all but it felt like these characters were from another story. Loved the Native American mythology use and the hero and heroine were well suited to one another. 3/5 stars[TACKY:] by Charlaine Harris is set in the Southern Vampire Mysteries world but isn't focused on Sookie. When a vampire and a werewolf decide to get married it causes all kinds of comflict for the bride and groom least of which is the fact that their races hate one another! I've only recently become remotely familiar with this world and love the way it is presented, this story was cute and an interesting look at the vampire and werewolf politics Harris has created. 5/5 stars[A HARD DAY'S NIGHT-SEARCHER:] by Sherrilyn Kenyon plops you down into the world of the Dark Hunters where a young squire with delusions of grandeur has written and gotten published with a short story that is a blatant rip-off of the REAL Dark Hunters. To protect his squire a Dark Hunter has to keep the female squire he has the hots for busy and maybe get her to break a few rules along the way. There's a lot of plot packed into this short story but it comes off strangely well if you're a fan of Kenyon's Dark Hunters this is a decent read. 4/5 stars["...OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE":] by Susan Krinard is a historical tale of a wedding interupted by a mysterious man, an even more mysterious death and a kidnapping. When a group of friends must sort out the truth using their inherited magics they're in for a big surprise. Really interesting conceptually but a little confusing this one would have made a better full length novel. 3/5 starsOverall this was a pretty good sampler of authors and I loved the diversity of writing styles. It was fun to see familiar authors writing outside of their series (Banks, Caine) and to see a few were tied to others (Butcher, Harris, Kenyon). Not my favorite anthology about weddings but certainly one for fans of the well known authors included within.
What do You think about My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006)?
A collection of short stories mostly from established worlds.Spellbound L.A. Banks - Hatfields and McCoys going to college, working magic, falling in love and getting married.Something Borrowed Jim Butcher - Billy and Georgia's wedding. Also in Side JobsDead Man's Chest Rachel Caine - Cecilia and Ian have been dating for 2 months, and Ian has planned a surprise wedding on an authentic looking pirate ship. But Ian thinks Cecelia has an inheritance that he wants. His plan is to have the pirates kill her. But Captain Lockhart is drawn to Cecilia. But how long have these pirates been sailing the seas? All Shook Up - P.N. Elrod - Elvis as a wedding singer and life coach.The Wedding of Wylda Serene Esther M. Friesner - Uppercrust people with attitude. Odd story. The Club is a part of these people's lives. But it draws supernatural things to it. Wylda is getting married to a perfect uppercrust guy with impeccable pedigree. Or is he? Greek gods and goddesses appear at the wedding. Charmed by the Moon Lori Handeland - I have not read this author before and I felt like there was a lot of missing backstory. The main characters Jessie and Will are getting married, but find out that they have both been under the influence of love charms. Will they break the charms? Will they still love each other?Tacky Charlaine Harris Dahlia has been in other Sookie stories. She is a vampire who lives in Rhodes. Her nest mate Taffy is getting married to a were. Planning a wedding with two sets of supes who may or may not go to war is complicated. Add in the catering staff and there may be a war. (view spoiler)[ Last paragraph says that Dahlia and the best wolf Todd got married a year later. (hide spoiler)]
—Mary
"Spellbound" by L. A. Banks was a very nice start to this anthology! Odelia and Jefferson are so in love, and want to get married on the same day they graduate from college because all their family will be there. With this match made in heaven, what could possibly go wrong? (Beside the fact that both their families are into witchcraft, and have been feuding for decades casting spells on one another.) This was a nice southern-style short that was entertaining, and gave the real feel of being "dow
—Shannon (Savhage Temptrest)
I like anthologies, and keep an eye out for certain writers. This one worked out great for me, with so many I like all included. It's like a buffet of good stories.I got it mostly for the Dresden Files story by Jim Butcher. Harry helps his friend Billy the Werewolf get married. And, as you'd expect, nothing goes smoothly thanks to a vengeful fairy.PN Elrod, the editor, wrote some books I loved, the In the Blood series about a vampire in Prohibition era Chicago. Her story here is fun, too.Charlaine Harris, of Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood fame, gives us a tale of a Southern wedding with vampires, werewolves, and fundamentalist assassins. And there's a Dark Hunter short story from Miss Kenyon, as well as a few more.I enjoyed them, some more than others as always happens with a collection. A lot of fun paranormal adventure here.
—Wayland Smith
